dating monotheism

[justa_gurl]

Hey everyone, i could use your help.

I'm looking for some good sources that outline and compare the various theories as to when Zoroastrianism and monotheism first made its appearance. I know it's all a bit foggy but any sort of timeline showing archealogical discoveries, theories ect. would be VERY helpful.

From what i gather, common belief puts it between 700-1000BC and there's some very good reading that supports this. However, nothing i've read so far really introduces the reasons behind the other various theories which attempt to date it much earlier (6600BC) or later (10ad), they only mention them. So any info or sources you might have on this i'd be really interested in.

Thanks!

 

[ashai]

just_agurl, Ushta

 

[ashai]

Ushta justa_gurl

As you have said there are evidences to date Zarathushtra , however, the date 700 BC is way too late. Simply for arguments against this, check www.zoroastrianism.cc. I will just say that It seems blatantly impossible that Daryoush (Darius I) who was, undoubtedly, some sort of Zarathushtrian according to his inscriptions at Bistun, would not even mention Zarathushtra if he had been alive in 700 BC, a mere century plus before him. Besides, that date is dependent on a Sassanian tradition which purports to state that Darius' father was Vishtaspa. This is preposterous since Dariush and his father were both Persian and Vishtaspa, both by his name and by other traditions, was a Chorasmian.

Indeed the 1000 BC date date might also be too late. That will depend on the age given to books 2 through 7 of the Rig Veda, because, linguists have already determined that the Gathas of Zarathushtra and these, the earliest books of the Rig are contemporary.

Indeed, it seems that Ussij, Grehma ,and Bendva, are names of persons families etc; present in both compositions and seen as alive when Zarathushtra was preaching. Most scholars tend to date the Vedas circa 1500 BC.

The 600 plus dates are Greek and Hindu and must be considered fantastic, on the one hand, and religious, on the other. There is no way that Zarathushtra's Gathas would have preserved their meter, rhythm , tone, and pronunciation for the 5000 years or so they would have existed while not been written down, if those dates were true.

Besides that would place metallurgy 8000 years ago and our best estimates fall 3000 years short of that. and Zarathushtra talks about molten metal.

Hope this helps

Ushta Te
Ashai